MINNEAPOLIS -- Randy Arozarena has developed a reputation for excelling in big moments in his four years with the Rays. Add the series finale in Minnesota to the list, with an important final stretch of the season still to come.

Arozarena hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning, and Tampa Bay beat the Twins, 5-4, on Wednesday afternoon at Target Field to take two of three games between likely playoff teams. After taking care of business in Minnesota, the Rays now face a big showdown this week with the American League East-leading Orioles.

• Games remaining: at BAL (4), vs. LAA (3), vs. TOR (3), at BOS (2), at TOR (3)
• Standings update: The Orioles (91-54) hold a two-game lead over the Rays (90-57) in the AL East. Tampa Bay remains the top AL Wild Card team -- the club that gets to host a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the AL’s No. 5 seed -- and holds an eight-game lead over Texas (81-64), with Seattle (81-65) and Toronto (80-66) also in contention. Tampa Bay trails in the season series with Baltimore, 6-3, and would need to sweep the four games between the two teams this weekend to hold the tiebreaker with the O's.
• Magic number: 5 (for postseason clinch)

“I’m always ready,” Arozarena said through interpreter Manny Navarro. “It brings up the focus level a little bit more, especially to help out my teammates as much as I can. We know that we’ve got some big games coming up, and we’ve got to just be ready for them and just stay positive.”

Kevin Kelly earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Robert Stephenson earned his first save for Tampa Bay, getting the final out and stranding the tying run at second base. Taj Bradley struck out seven, but he allowed four runs on four hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings.

The Rays’ four-game series against the Orioles starts Thursday night at Camden Yards.

“It’s going to be a good series,” Tampa Bay first baseman Yandy Díaz said before the game through interpreter Manny Navarro. “I think it’s going to make or break the season. But we’re going to go out there, and hopefully go with the mentality to win all four games.”

Tampa Bay has stayed within range of Baltimore by winning of seven of its past nine games, including two on the road against the Twins, the AL Central leaders.

Colin Poche started the ninth inning Wednesday and got the first two outs around a walk to Jordan Luplow and a stolen base by pinch-runner Andrew Stevenson. With right-handed pinch-hitter Christian Vázquez at the plate, manager Kevin Cash -- showing the importance of the moment -- opted to go to Stephenson, who struck out Vázquez on three pitches to end the game.

“Generally speaking, Colin stays in that game,” Cash said. “But with the magnitude of it, where we’re at in the season, we’re going to prioritize getting whatever we think is the right matchup. It might not always work, but that’s what we’re going to try and do.”

Arozarena hit his 22nd home run of the season off reliever Griffin Jax, sending a 3-2 sweeper a Statcast-projected 448 feet into the third deck in left-center field.

“He got every bit of that ball,” Cash said. “That ball went a long way, picked our dugout up. We were, at that stage after they tied it up, pretty frustrated in the dugout the way the game had unfolded. But Randy came up with a big hit.”

Arozarena -- who was the AL Championship Series MVP in 2020 against the Astros and added a 1.235 OPS in the Rays’ World Series loss to the Dodgers -- has made a name for himself by coming through in clutch situations.

“We all know he rises up in big games and big moments,” Cash said. “So [we’ve] probably come to expect nothing less, and today was a big moment. Hopefully that provides him a little bit of a jolt, and it continues now the rest of the way.”

It was Arozarena’s first home run since Aug. 29. He went 2-for-5 after hitting .205 in his previous 12 games.

Now, with Arozarena feeling confident and the Twins series behind them, the Rays can look solely upon the next series and a chance to catch the Orioles.

“We know this series has kind of been earmarked for probably a month now, our opportunity to gain some ground,” Cash said. “But I think we just need to go in there, appreciate what we just did. This has been a tough ballpark for us to find success in and win series. So enjoy it and get ready to play Baltimore tomorrow.”